DENSITY EFFECTS ON VEGETATIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN STRAWBERRY CV HAPIL

Single crown plants of the strawberry cultivar 'Hapil' were grown at five densities. Increasing density reduced leaf and crown number up to approximately 50 plants m-2 after which there was no further reduction. Dissection of plant apices showed that apart from the highest plant density (100 plants m-2) there was little effect of density on date of flower initiation. Plants grown at a medium density (25 plants m-2) produced the greatest number of flowers per inflorescence and gave the earliest flowering. The results are viewed in the light of possible inter-plant competition and the use of plant density is discussed in relation to the production of waiting-bed plants.